I was asking myself similar questions, and then I realized that it's an Olympic year, and the Olympics start *very soon*, so I think that China, for example, might be saving its most competitive pairs skaters for the Olympics, thus not risking injuries at 4 CC.

I was asking myself similar questions, and then I realized that it's an Olympic year, and the Olympics start *very soon*, so I think that China, for example, might be saving its most competitive pairs skaters for the Olympics, thus not risking injuries at 4 CC.

While that is true, they have plenty of other teams with the score ability to be sent. Yu/Jin were actually on the nitial entries but later withdrawn. Wang/Wang are another lovely pair who could have really used the chance to compete here.

As for Canada, their international assignments policy is even worse than China's, so none of their other pair teams got the minimun scores needed to compete here.

While that is true, they have plenty of other teams with the score ability to be sent. Yu/Jin were actually on the nitial entries but later withdrawn. Wang/Wang are another lovely pair who could have really used the chance to compete here.

As for Canada, their international assignments policy is even worse than China's, so none of their other pair teams got the minimun scores needed to compete here.

You forgot to mention that three of the Canadian teams will be at Sochi so they would naturally not want to go for the 4CC.

You forgot to mention that three of the Canadian teams will be at Sochi so they would naturally not want to go for the 4CC.

Im not talking about olympic teams, like Dodhiyel said and I agreed with it, they usually don't bother with 4CC being so close to the olys. The problem is when there's a big chance for the lower ranked teams to get ISU championship experience and the feds drop the ball like they did here.

Canada didn't bother to send lower ranking teams to an International B event so they get a qualifying score for 4CC. They could have sent a few to the US event in September at little cost. The US sends promising pairs to "B"s every year and that sets them up for 4CC.

Seguin/Bilodeau? Do they have the minimums even though they competed in Juniors?

This skimpy roster is kind of disappointing.

I think they do, but it looks like they want to concentrate on Junior Worlds (also they might not have a senior program ready for 4CC having competed in the junior ranks all season). They will move up to seniors next year, as well as Grenier/Deschamps, who are a new team and haven't competeted internationally.

In this case for Canada there really aren't enough teams - it's not a matter of not sending teams to senior internationals to get qualifying scores. There were only 7 senior pairs at Canadians this year - and as noted above, 3 are going to Olympics, 2 to 4CC, Rau/Schultz are age-ineligible, and Jones/Reagan the last just started skating together in the fall. The Challenge in December was their first competition together. With the juniors, it would be unreasonable (if not impossible) to expect teams that had been training and skating junior programs all year to compete senior programs (and in Asia) starting less than a week after Canadians ended in Ottawa, with a longer free program and some element differences.

I hope that the new pairs (including and especially Grenier and Deschamps, who competed junior this year probably because Grenier is new to pairs) get sent to senior internationals as soon as possible. And Canada needs more pair teams!